Popularity and Friendships and Their Relationship to Physical Activity Before and After Transition to a Higher School Grade.

This study investigated the relationships between children's friendship ties and their physical activity (PA) both before and after their transition to a new school year. In 2011-2012, children in grades 5-8 attending a Canadian urban middle-school completed web-based health and friendship surveys two times before ("pre-transition") and three times after ("post-transition") they moved up in school grade. Cross-sectional associations between an average daily frequency of ≥60 min/day of moderate-to-vigorous intensity PA (MVPA) and characteristics of children's friendships were estimated for pre-transition ( = 191) and post-transition ( = 255) data.

Changes in visitor profiles and activity patterns following dog supportive modifications to parks: A natural experiment on the health impact of an urban policy.

Urban parks are important settings for physical activity, but few natural experiments have investigated the influences of park modifications on activity patterns and visitor profiles.We assessed the impact of implementing a municipal policy on off-leash dogs in city parks in Calgary (Alberta, Canada). Systematic observation undertaken in 2011 and 2012 within four parks captured patterns of use, activities, and visitors׳ characteristics.

Associations between aspects of friendship networks and dietary behavior in youth: Findings from a systematized review.

Objective: To gather and synthesize current evidence on the associations between aspects of friendship networks (e.g., friends' dietary behavior, popularity) and an individual's dietary behavior among children and adolescents.

Physical activity patterns in urban neighbourhood parks: insights from a multiple case study.

Background: Many characteristics of urban parks and neighbourhoods have been linked to patterns of physical activity, yet untangling these relationships to promote increased levels of physical activity presents methodological challenges. Based on qualitative and quantitative data, this article describes patterns of activity within urban parks and the socio-demographic characteristics of park visitors. It also accounts for these patterns in relation to the attributes of parks and their surrounding neighbourhoods.

The relations between driving behavior, physical activity and weight status among Canadian adults.

Background: Evidence regarding the relative contributions of physical activity (PA) and driving behavior on weight status is limited. This study examined the associations between driving and PA behavior and weight status among Canadian adults.

Methods: A random cross-section of Calgarian adults (n = 1026) completed a telephone-interview and a self-administered questionnaire.